So I was diagnosed with IBS a couple of years ago and am now 20. For about 6 months I've had cycles of intense upper right abdominal pain extending into my right breast and generalised abdominal cramps which coincide with very pale diarrhoea that lasts for about a week. I also pass blood in my stools (I will be having a flexible sigmoidoscopy shortly to investigate this) which I have been told is not normal for an IBS patient.

Having researched the causes of pale stools, the majority of people say it could be related to the gall bladder/ liver/ billiary system. I have had an ultrasound to rule out gallstones so I'm not too sure where to go from there. The symptoms tend to flare up after eating fatty foods also.

Is it worth going back to the doctor about this? Getting a little fed up of being constantly palmed off as having IBS despite both Buscopan and Mebeverine providing no relief. There is also a strong history of cancer in my family (I know this is extremely unlikely due to my age) but it is a worry.

4 Replies

IBS sounds like a diagnosis, but it isn't really. It just means that your bowel is irritated by something , and it is a syndrome that is not fully understood. It is the catch all diagnosis when a dootir things you are unlikely (or proven) not to have anything serious.

Have you had blood tests done? As these would show a possibility of something serious. If they have been normal then it is not going to be anything serious.

Having said all that if you still feel rubbish, a diagnosis of IBS doesn't get you any further forward.

The sigmoidoscopy will sort out any abnormalities in your sigmoid colon. If all well then you may do well to consider you are reacting to something you are eating or drinking regularly.

Thanks for the advice. I've had lots of blood tests done for coeliac, inflammation markers etc which have all come back normal. I'm thinking now of just cutting down on the amount of fat I'm eating as that seems to cause flare ups most often.

20 seems quite young to have gall stones but your symptoms do match those of gallstones. If you find the pain also in your shoulder blades I would say it could definitely be gallstones. I've had IBS all my life (diagnosed in my teens- I'm 48 now) and I had my gallbladder out 7 years ago - I hope you get it sorted soon